


Unfinished Business

by Batdad (MizGoat), DivineValley



Series: Quartermaster and The Speck [3]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Blood and Injury, Blow Jobs, Friends With Benefits, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-22
Updated: 2018-02-22
Packaged: 2019-03-22 09:13:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13760934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MizGoat/pseuds/Batdad, https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineValley/pseuds/DivineValley
Summary: Steady and Sten had fully intended to enjoy The Speck's second official inspection, but nothing in the GAR goes quite according to plan.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All the explicit sex happens in chapter two, so if that isn't your thing feel free to skip it.

“You’re looking quite happy today, sarge.” Blitz commented over breakfast, his eyes landing on Sten who seemed to be humming to himself lost in thought. “Wouldn’t have to do with a certain lieutenant returning now...would it?”

Continuing his tune, Sten sipped his caf trying his best to bite back the smile on his face. “No idea what you’re talking about. Didn’t even know we were having guests, now let me eat my toast in peace.” He said while stuffing a large piece into his mouth clearly not fooling Blitz in the least.

So Steady was coming back, not big deal it had only been a month and a half and they’ve been messaging one another. No big deal. He was just here for the inspection that’s it. Completely professional and if anyone pointed out his new haircut and the extra hours he’s been spending in the gym...well it was all for himself! A sergeant can want to look good for himself couldn’t he?

Steady was already grinning when he got off the shuttle. Sten couldn’t explain the weird flip of his stomach he ignored it, didn’t mean anything at all. Tadhg wasn’t trailing behind but judging from Steady’s expression the younger must have been fine. Sten tried his best not to look too excited.

Keyword being tried.

“So now, how have you sorry lot been managing without my help for the past month and a half?”

“We’ve been doing pretty damn well! Though we just had another rotation a week ago, bunch of new guys but you’ll see some familiar faces too! Where’s Tadhg? Not up for a visit? Mouse was looking forward to seeing him again.

“He’s doing training to get himself bumped up to sergeant. Wants my old spot. And I want him to get it. But I have been sent with a data stick full of books from him as a gift for Mouse. Apparently he got the impression that Mouse would want copies of his poetry collection.” Steady shrugged. Seemed like he didn’t have a fondness of poetry like some guys did, Sten wasn’t much of a poetry lover but he did enjoy a good fairytale every now and then.

“So things must still be in settle in mode. Nice to know I’ve caught you at a truly bad time.” Ah, Sten’s missed that joking sarcasm.

“I mean not so bad...could be worse?” It really could be, one rotation half his new crew had been shinies that had been fucking hell for him. “C’mon I’ll bring you around to see the guys before we need to get all business.”

Their first stop was Blitz’s office the medic greeted Steady with a knowing smile, he seemed to be in the middle of a lesson with Mouse. When the deaf trooper noticed Steady his face lit up for a moment before realizing Tadhg wasn’t with them and it was obvious he was concerned.

“Calm down there bud, nothing bad happened to Tadhg, he’s training right now for sergeant so he couldn’t make it.”

Mouse’s shoulders sagged in relief and a relieved sigh escaped him. “Okay, last time we exchanged messages he said he’d be coming but I’m glad to hear he’s going for sergeant! That’s great!”

“He asked me to bring his well wishes and also this.” Steady produced the data stick from a pouch on his belt. “A present. Some books on there he thought you would like.” Steady held out his hand.

“So is Hawke still lurking around?”

“Course he is, think he’s helping Howler with inventory right now, there’s no way I can separate these four, wouldn’t hear the end of it. He’ll be happy to see you.” Sten said, and well he knew it’d be bad to tear them apart.

“And about the books, Hawke really enjoys hearing stories, he said he used to read a lot before his accident so Vic and I read to him often.” Mouse explained with a smile as he looked down at the data chip happily, unable to wait and see what Tadhg had sent.

“Glad to hear it. You lot need to take care of each other. And did I hear something about inventory? Are you all just trying to soften me up now? Am I going to find utter chaos somewhere and you want to make sure I’m in a good mood first?” Steady laughed a little at his own joke, then gave a look that was probably meant to intimidate them.

“Whaaat? Why in the world would you think that?” Sten laughed only half joking, there had been a bit of a problem recently but he wasn’t ready to get into that. “Taking inventory is kinda like a punishment for Howl, he hates having to stand still, add counting to the mix, he’ll be bitching for days but it’s hilarious.”

“I know absolutely nothing about using inventory as punishment. Or about using guard duty as further punishment if they don’t do inventory correctly. Because my men are perfectly behaved, always,” Steady said with a straight face.

Bullshit, his guys probably gave him just as much trouble as some of his own men gave him. There was no such thing as a perfectly behaved squad or crew.

Snickering, Sten smiled at Steady because of course he’d do something like that to his men, he bet it was hilarious to watch too. “Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t know anything about that. Bet you haven’t used the best friend bracelets on anyone either, have you?”

“I have not. But then third shift guard duty has much the same effect, only with the added bonus of sleep deprivation.” He smiled in a way that said otherwise, Sten would have to press him for more details later.

“So, Medical seems all squared away. Shall we continue our tour?”

“Yes, please continue your tour, have fun flirting with your weird boss humor.” Blitz said teasingly causing Sten’s cheeks to flare up.

“We-we’re not flirting.”

“Want me to show Steady the charts I made abou-”

“Aaaaannnd we’re leaving! C’mon Steady!” Hooking his arm with Steady’s he lead him out of the room but not before shooting a glare at his smug looking medic who just gave a small wave in return.

“Charts?” Steady raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”

“No, no you don’t let’s move on.”

Moving on with the tour they visited the key locations of the base just like they had the first visit only this time everything was just better. Sten’s mood for one was a major difference he wasn’t wound up from fear and stress. It almost didn’t feel like an inspection it felt like taking a walk with a friend.

“Sir, can I speak with you for a moment?”

Looking over his shoulder, Sten grinned at the sight of one of his men though there was a sudden twist in his stomach. “Shepard! Yeah of course! Steady this is Shepard, sorry I never had a chance to properly introduce you, he’s actually head of security...that I had honestly forgotten I had promoted.”

“Took no offense sir, you were quite intoxicated that night. It’s nice to meet you lieutenant.”

“Likewise.” Steady tried not to snicker but Sten could hear him losing his grip on it.

“You needed to talk to Sten?” He prompted, remembering that Shepard had come looking for them.

“Yes sir…” Looking slightly hesitant in speaking in front of Steady, Shepard looked to his sergeant before continuing. “It’s Bitters sir, he’s had another altercation.”

Well, shit.

“It serious? What he do now?”

“He suddenly became irrational and provoked a fight with Creed while they were on cleaning duty. Marks tried to interfere and well he’s in medical getting his nose set back into place.”

Double shit.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Sten took a deep breath as his brain started to think up what to do. Bitters has been an increasing problem, the man had issues, had seen a lot during his time out there and had been lashing out since coming here. Sten felt sympathy but it only could go so far.

“Anything else? I should know?”

“...He did make threatening statements toward Howler and Mouse about finding their signing annoying. I’m not sure if he’d carry them out but…”

“No it’s good you told me, thank you Shep. You make sure Marks is well taken care of, he’s doing well in security you have him know that. I’ll have a sit down with Bitters later on.”

“Well he just sounds like a little bundle of happiness.” Yeah, quite a bundle of happiness, not at all a ticking time bomb waiting to go AWOL on someone on his station. He didn’t understand vode who became like that, why make their lives more difficult than it had to be?

“Of course if you want my help, I’m here,” he added in a low aside to Sten. Appreciating the offer Sten shook his head. He should really handle this on his own, wouldn’t be pretty if Bitters felt like he was being ganged up on.

“No, it’s fine he’s just...he’s an issue but I feel sorry for him too. He has problems and I want to help him but he’s not letting me.” It’s frustrating as hell to have one of his guys acting like this. No one was out to hurt Bitters so why did he act like they were.

“I can’t leave it be but I won’t drag you to watch me scold a man. Want to head back see if Hawke is around? Know you’d like to see him too.” Looking around quickly to see if anyone was around he leaned in pressing a kiss to Steady on the lips and smiled. “And later we can have some time to ourselves?”

“I certainly hope so. I’m not complaining about last time, but I feel like we may have left a few things… unexplored.” Steady raised his eyebrows and let out a short laugh. A whole lot hadn’t been explored and last time Sten had some...hesitation. But he knew what he wanted now and was certainly looking forward to it.

“And you’re right, I do want to say hello to Hawke.”

“Unexplored is a very good word for it. Heh, so just as long as you try not to bring up any paperwork again. I know you’re super into that but I’m the kind of guy whooo hates that stuff.” Wasn’t about being lazy just numbed his mind and made his eyes hurt.

“You go on and find Hawke I’ll take care of this in no time! Try not to miss me too much, okay?”

Steady headed down the hall to where he knew the station's store rooms were, and true to promise, Hawke and Howler really were taking inventory. He heard the chirpy voice of Howler’s comm issuing complaints before he entered, and he stood in the doorway watching for a moment before he spoke.

“Working hard or hardly working?” he asked and laughed at the slight jump it produced. He closed the distance between himself and Hawke and gently touched his shoulder.

“How’ve you been, kid?”

“Steady!” Calling out his name happily, Hawke turned so he could give him a proper hug while Howler nodded his head in greeting, smiling a bit at how excited Hawke became knowing he was here. “We’re doing fine, I’m working but I know Howler is slacking off.”

“ **Explicit word you, Hawke.** ” He typed into his comm sticking his tongue out at him. “ **I’ve been working my butt off here. What have you been doing?** ”

“Supervising and making sure you don’t go crawling off into the vents to avoid working.”

“It’s good to see you both. And I’d be careful if I were you Howler. Anyone under my command who doesn’t do inventory correctly gets busted down to guard duty. As bad as counting is, doing nothing is worse.” Steady watched the realization wash over Howler with some satisfaction and turned back to Hawke.

“You getting everything you need out here? Anything you’re short on? Besides patience?”

“We’ve been good with supplies, great actually, you really taught Sten some good stuff, so everything has been great-”

“ **Except for crazy Bitters.** ” Howler interrupted as a frown spread across his face. “ **The guy is a psycho, he’s started more fights than we’ve ever had here. He even went after Mouse of all people!** ”

Hesitating a moment Hawke nodded in agreement, his expression becoming troubled. “He’s...not like any brother I’ve met before. It’s sad to see the war has made him like this but...I believe he’s dangerous.”

Steady frowned. Sten hadn’t seemed that worried, and he was inclined to trust his judgement, but he didn’t like the sound of this.

“Sometimes a vod loses sight of where the fight stops. It’s a shame, yes. But it’s also their problem to deal with.” Steady realized that might come out a little cold so he amended, “It’s good to want to help, but some things never get fixed by others. He’s responsible for his own anger.”

“But let’s focus on something more interesting shall we? Why don’t you let me lend a hand with this for a bit so you can move on to whatever else you need to get done today?” And for a while they were able to chat as they worked. Hawke and Howler were anxious for news from the front, and Steady did his best to oblige while keeping the tone light and avoiding his opinions on casualties or the lack of meaningful progress.

The mood however was shattered with a loud crash and a yell from out in the hallway. Before he had even finished processing the sounds Steady was running out into the hallway, adrenaline crashing through his veins.

Steady took only a moment to take in the details of the scene laid out before him before springing into action. Sten was on the ground and bleeding from his side, and there was a frighteningly large amount of it. The trooper, probably Bitters, standing over him was holding some sort of shiv. The details after that didn’t matter.

Steady watched as the trooper’s eyes grew wide with the realization that he was being attacked only after Steady had already gotten a hand locked around the trooper’s wrist on the hand that held the knife and he twisted hard and yanked forward. He first heard the snap of breaking bone then the clang of metal hitting the durasteel floor. His free hand came up balled in a fist and connected with his opponent’s jaw.

Steady released his hold and stepped back a moment to regain momentum then surged forward again this time catching Bitters by the throat and body checking him into the wall of the hallway. Steady was dimly aware that he was being hit. Bitters was flailing, blows landing with loud plastic cracks against his arms and torso. He simply tightened his grip and shook, before leaning in close.

“The hell is your damage? Whole galaxy wants you dead except for him. And you stab him for wanting to help? Where did you think that was going to get you?” Steady growled, his lips barely opening far enough to let the words through.

Bitters didn’t answer but nearly succeeded in unbalancing Steady with a foot slammed down on Steady’s instep. Steady responded by bringing his knee up hard into Bitter’s groin. Most of the blow was defused by their armor, but his eyes still bulged in a satisfying sort of way.

And then Steady was being pulled away by Shepard, and he watched as two other troopers held Bitters to the floor and handcuffed him.

“Easy, easy. Enough,” someone was telling him.

All the fear he hadn’t had time for crashed in. Sten was still bleeding. His blood was beginning to form a pool on the floor next to him. Steady dropped to his knees at Sten’s side. His mouth was dry and he couldn’t seem to get enough air.

“Is that my name, Sarge?” Heart was looking up at him, pink blood frothing around the lips he had so liked to kiss.

“You still with me?” he finally managed to ask

Sten’s skin was becoming pale, he didn’t look right, and his eyelids were drooping. His eyes drifted around Steady’s face before he managed to make eye contact.

“...Ye...yeah. I, I was stabbed?” He sounded surprised. His gaze drifted off again.

“Steady…” he mumbled, and laboriously lifted his hand to cover Steady’s. “I better not...fucking die before…” As his voice started trailing off Sten started to almost begin to pass out when someone slamming the wall beside him made him jump.

Howler was there, his eyes wide in panic as he slammed his hands again over and over, now trying to get Steady to snap out of the strange trance he was in.

-HELP-

He signed with one hand as a strangled grunt left his mouth while he pressed his free hand to Sten’s wound to try and slow down his bleeding.

Steady flinched as Howler’s hand waved in front of his face. With a slight jerk he pulled Sten’s knees up. Then tucking one arm under Sten’s knees and wrapping the other around his torso he stood up. Years of ingrained combat training taking over where active thought failed.

“Keep the pressure on, we’re taking him to medical,” he told Howler and then began to walk as quickly as the odd coordination of their movements would allow.

“ **Incoming Wounded!** ” he bellowed out as soon as they were within earshot as if this were an active firefight and not a remote space station.

Hearing the shout Blitz rose from his seat quickly just in time to see Steady and Howler carrying in Sten, immediately letting his mind slip back into combat medic he shouted for them to get him on the examining table. Once Sten was laid out for him he went to work on removing his armor so he had access to the wound easier.

“I need you two to stop hovering! Sten, Sten I need you staying awake!” Blitz yelled. Sten obeyed lifting his unfocused gaze to the ceiling.

“What’s...happen…?” Speaking in a slurred tone, Sten looked around weakly trying to figure out where he was.

Steady moved to the head of the bed in order to clear out of Blitz’s way, but he wasn’t quite willing to pull away entirely. He curled his hand into Sten’s hair and felt the sharp bristly texture of a fresh cut. Had that been for him? His eyes were glued to Sten’s side as Blitz peeled away the layers, watching to see how far the damage reached.

“Blitz is patching you up. Just stay calm. We’re taking care of you.” There was an uncharacteristic wobble in his tone. “Just need you to hang in there with us. Breathe deep, slow, and easy for me. Just stay calm, all right?”

Steady tried to model that slow deep breathing as he finally saw the wound on Sten’s abdomen. For all the blood it had let out, it truthfully wasn’t that big. It looked like the sort of thing that should be able to heal up with some bacta and a few stitches. But gut wounds could be deceptive. Still he kept his eyes on it because the longer he looked at it, the less it looked like the gaping hole that had let Heart’s guts fall into the dirt.

“M’kay...hey...I still wanna...have time with you. Not just to like have fun but I wanna talk to you and...hear you talk.” Sten mumbled as he tried forming coherent thoughts when he gasped slightly at the pressure that was being applied to his wound.

“I keep fucking it up. I’m always screwing shit up. You’re gonna get sick of me.” Sten said, his throat suddenly tightened at the thought of Steady getting sick of him and deciding he wasn’t worth the trouble. “I didn’t mean to...I just wanted to help him. He’s so angry all the time and I just wanted to be a good sarge...I just wanted to be a good leader.”

“You did the right thing. He’s the fuck up here. And how could I get tired of you? You’re a delight. You told me so yourself. Once Bliz gets you patched up, I’ll take you back to your room and we can chat all you want.”

Blitz worked dutifully, barking out orders to Howler in fetching him supplies so he could clean and seal the wound. With thirteen new stitches and a bacta patch placed over it the medic’s shoulders finally slumped in relief. “He’s going to be fine, a little out of it but fine.” He announced before he turned to the duo. “The hell happened?!”

-Bitters stabbed him!-

“Bitters what?! He did this?! Kriffing hells, I knew he had issues but to stab his commanding officer? Well it’s a good thing it was just a slash and not a lunge that would have made things...so much more complicated.”

“Security will probably bring him in here next, though I’d appreciate if they waited until we get Sten out of here. But I know I broke his wrist. Might have cracked his jaw too.” Steady shrugged, unconcerned.

“Is he ok to walk? Or should I carry him out?”

“It’d be better he be carried for now and uh if you two get up to something be careful.” Blitz warned not wanting to go into detail about whatever activities the two had been planning before.

Steady met Blitz’s gaze and just nodded.

“I’ll take care of him from here. Come on, you. Let’s get you into your own bed.” And with that Steady hoisted Sten back up into his arms and carried him out of the room.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Being set down onto his bed Sten looked up at Steady his mind was still a little hazy but it was nice being on something soft or as soft as this mattress could be. He felt tired but he wasn’t ready to go to sleep, he didn’t want to. If he fell asleep he’d be wasting time, time that could be spent with Steady.

“I still can’t believe...he stabbed me. I wasn’t even fighting him, I was just talking.” He whispered as his brow furrowed, how could this have happened?

He had tried to make the conversation casual, light and friendly but Bitters as always was aggressive and just angry, always so angry. Not matter how gentle he kept his voice and relaxed his posture things just continued to escalate. One sided screaming and cursing as he stood there doing all he could to just stay calm and be a good sergeant.

Sten wanted to help Bitters, he wanted to give him some peace of mind and let him know he was among family, surrounded by those who wouldn’t hurt or betray him but his words fell upon deaf ears and in all honesty it was a mistake in trying to touch Bitters, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was a sign of goodwill taken wrongly and before Sten could properly react there was a burning in his stomach and he was tumbling backward into the wall stabbed.

“That’s a problem that can wait until tomorrow. He’s got his own damage to deal with. You need to heal.” Steady sat on the edge of the bed and bent over to kiss Sten’s forehead.

“That was one hell of a scare you gave me.” Steady let out the breath. Sten instantly felt guilt welling up inside him, this wasn’t how their alone time was supposed to go.

Seeing Steady’s hands trembling Sten frowned as he carefully took them into his own giving a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to give everyone a scare. I’m sure the whole station is wondering what the hell happened.You and Howl really saved my ass back there, Blitz too. You saved my life Steady, seriously I don’t know how I could even thank you for that.”

Steady squeezed back.

“Listen. Keeping you alive is actually part of my job. I’d just as soon you didn’t thank me for it.” He pulled Sten’s hand up to his face and uncurled it. He pressed a quick kiss to the palm and then rested it against his cheek.

“I’m just happy it wasn’t worse.” Watching Steady close his eyes, he could feel him lean into his hand, it made Sten feel a little better to know he could give him some comfort.

“Well it sure would suck if it was worse, I still wanna thank you, c’mon. You beat the shit outta him, from what I saw it was pretty damn badass. You went full commando on him.” It was badass and kinda a major turn on even though he had been stabbed in the gut.

Running a thumb across Steady’s cheek he smiled up at him weakly. “You just gonna sit there all day? Relax, lay down for a bit it’s been pretty stressful for all of us.” He could still faintly feel Steady shaking, this...this really had given him a scare.

“I’m sorry this happened while you were here but...I’m glad...you’re here? That make any sense? I mean I’m not glad you had to see me get stabbed, I’m just glad you’re here now, after the fact.”

“Let me just get this armor off,” Steady said and stood up and started removing the bulk of his armor. Sten couldn’t help but watch him, Steady was...pretty damn handsome. He felt his cheeks get hot when their eyes met briefly. Watching as he slowed down and drag the top of his blacks over his head Steady twirled it playfully over his head once then tossed it so it landed right over Sten’s face.

Not expecting the sudden playfulness from Steady, Sten laughed when the shirt hit him in the face. Laughing some more he winced as he placed a hand over his stomach as he laid flat on his back again. “Okay, alright, no laughing for a little bit...nice strip tease. I give you a solid 8 out of 10. Little sloppy on the throw though.” Sten said and smiled when Steady finally crawled beside him. “So...will you think my new scar is sexy once it heals?”

“I think you’re sexy. Scars and all. But for my sake can you try and avoid adding new ones?” Steady kissed the spot just at the base of Sten’s ear and nuzzled into his hair. He gently wrapped an arm around Sten’s chest and shuffled a little to try and settle in more comfortably.

“I like the new haircut by the way.”

That tickled for sure and it took a lot of effort to laugh when Steady kissed under his ear, when he mentioned the hair, Sten reached up touching it for a second. “Yeah, figured it was time for a cut. Everyone’s been telling me I was starting to look mangey.”

Annnd he wanted to sorta kinda look good for Steady and himself of course! It was mostly for himself, he had to look like a proper leader! That was important after all!

“I just figured you were growing it out. All the vode I’ve known to try it go through a phase were it looks like weed growing out of their head, but it comes out all right after a bit.” Steady sighed and relaxed a little further.

“Tadhg keeps asking if I’m gonna dye mine blue now, as if that is a very funny joke and not at all rubbing salt in a wound. But then he’s more ambitious than I’ve ever been. I would have stayed a sergeant through the whole war if I could have.” Leaning in close, he kissed Sten’s neck again, and this time he let the kiss linger a while.

“Blue hair huh...I think I’d like to try something cool like that.” He said but all thoughts of potentially cool hairstyles left his head when a pair of warm lips were on his neck again. “I...what was I talking about?” He asked dumbly when Steady’s lips started trailing down his neck.

“Your hair, I think,” Steady murmured against Sten’s skin as he kept kissing his way down Sten’s collarbone. He shifted his weight up onto his elbow to make certain he wasn’t putting any on Sten, then dragged his free hand through Sten’s hair to emphasize his point. He halted the progress of his kisses when he reached the dip at the top of Sten’s sternum and gave that spot a little extra attention. He’d need to shift his weight again before heading further down and he liked the way it felt to be pressed up against Sten like this.

“Y-yeah, my hair?” His voice cracked, his voice actually cracked like he was a young cadet making his entire face turn bright red. Covering his face from shame and embarrassment, Sten wondered if it would have been better if he had bled out on the floor. Peeking through his fingers to see Steady smiling up at him, Sten wanted to kiss him but at the same time hit him with a pillow.

Steady lifted his hand out of Sten’s hair to tug at his wrist.

“Hey, don’t hide from me.” He leaned up to nuzzle at the edges of Sten’s hands and managed to land a kiss when they parted enough. He licked at Sten’s lips and then let his tongue slide past his teeth as Sten started to kiss back. Kriff but he had wanted this. And if the way Sten was curling his fingers into the back of his scalp was anything to go by, so had he.

Slowly he drew back and let his forehead rested it on Sten’s.

“You want to take this further?” he asked.

Nodding his head his cheeks were flushed and he kept his eyes locked with Steady’s.

“Yeah, yes, I want...I want to take this further with you.” He whispered and then bit his lip. “It’s...it’s been a while like I said so if I’m...if I’m not...amazing tonight.”

“That’s really not what I’m worried about. I seem to recall someone got stabbed not too long ago. I know by now the painkillers and bacta have got to be doing their job, but you know your limits better than I do. I just needed to make sure. Tell me if I go to far, all right?”

“Yeah... yeah. All right.” The little waver in Sten’s voice was still there and Steady tried to smile reassuringly. First times were always a little bit of a mess of confused expectations. He hadn’t counted on this sudden shyness, but it was sweet in it’s own way.

“Spread your legs a bit for me,” he said and tapped Sten’s thigh playfully.

Steady stood and quickly and artlessly shucked off the last of his clothes before turning back to Sten. Hooking his hands into the waistband of Sten’s blacks he made short work of helping him out of them until both of them were naked on the bed.

Steady sat between Sten’s legs and admired the view. Sten’s chest rolled up and down with his deep, even breathing, and there was a slight flush visible through tan skin that spread up from his chest and over his shoulders. The scene was marred a little perhaps by the addition of the white bandages, but still lovely for all that.

“So, seeing as how you’re injured here why don’t you just lay back and let me do the heavy lifting tonight? I promise to take very good care of you.” Steady punctuated the remark by dragging his index finger down the center Sten’s chest.

Sten just swallowed hard and nodded. His lips were parted slightly and his eyes were glued to Steady’s. A warm tension was building in the pit of Steady’s stomach. Using his free hand to balance he leaned forward and got back to kissing Sten.

The hand on Sten’s chest however continued its downward journey. His fingers drifted through the beginning curls of Sten’s pubic hair before drifting sideways on to the inside of his thigh. His detour was rewarded with a small whine from Sten that made Steady smile into their kiss.

“Patience. I’ll make this good. I promise,” he whispered between kisses.

Sten must have remembered that he had hands because they were suddenly grabbing Steady’s shoulders with a bit more force than he had expected. Steady just rolled his shoulders to encourage him to let up a little and began to trail his kisses downward. At the same time he let his hand drift back down until it was wrapped around the base of Sten’s rapidly hardening cock.

Steady sat back up to allow himself to redistribute his weight and he had to work against Sten’s grip that seemed intent on keeping him as close as possible. Then with the next tug downward he yielded and let his head come down and licked a long stripe down the length of Sten’s dick before bobbing back up and taking it in his mouth.

Steady was inordinately pleased at the yelp from Sten this got him. Humming with satisfaction he set about finding a rhythm. Letting his hand cover what wouldn’t comfortably fit in his mouth, he took his time using the tip of his tongue to explore the sensitive edges of the head and slit. The sound of Sten’s panting and the salty taste of his skin were a heady mix and Steady let himself get a little lost in the moment. It wasn’t until he felt Sten’s thighs begin to tense that he realized he might be taking things a bit far if he wanted to continue with his plans.

He looked up and scanned the room to figure out where his belt had ended up and cursed loudly as he spotted it halfway across the room.

“What?!!?” Sten asked and scrambled to prop himself up on his elbows.

“Nothing! Nothing. Hold that thought.” Steady pressed a finger to Sten’s lips with one hand and gently squeezed the base of his cock with the other.

He scrambled out of bed and quickly crossed the room suddenly feeling every inch of his nakedness and painfully aware of Sten’s confused gaze on him. Once he had fished the foil packet out from where he had stashed it, he hurried back and crawled back between Sten’s legs.

“Lube? Did you bring your own lube? Did you think I wouldn’t have any?”

“I had no idea what you did or did not have, and I wasn’t about to go without,” Steady grumbled as he struggled to get the cursed thing open.

Sten let out a nervous giggle and collapsed back on to his pillows. Steady finally tore the packet open and smeared a generous portion onto Sten’s dick. Keeping his pace slow he pumped his hand over Sten’s cock while reaching around to use the fingers of his other hand to work himself open.

“Oh. Oh, you’re going to…” Sten’s eyes were wide as he connected Steady’s actions with his intent.

“I told you, ah,” Steady let out a slight gasp as he inadvertently brushed over something sensitive. “All you have to do is lay back and let me take care of you.”

Steady rearranged their limbs so that he was stradling Sten’s hips and reached down to hold his cock upright as he sat back down onto it. He hissed at the slight burn that told him he probably could have taken a little longer with stretching his ass but he couldn’t be bothered to stop now. He just closed his eyes, bit his lip and kept working slowly down until he was fully seated. Once there he stilled, his eyes still closed, until a caress on his thigh brought him back to the present.

“You ok?” Steady opened his eyes to see Sten’s brow furrowed.

“I am so much better than ok,” Steady told him and then emphasized the point by rolling his hips a little. The action had them both groaning. If Steady had been aroused before every nerve felt electrified now. He dropped a hand over the one Sten had on his thigh and let his fingers curl over it to try and trap it there.

Slowly at first but gaining speed rapidly he began to rock his hips. By leaning back just a little he was able angle them so that every thrust was hitting where it felt best. Sten’s pinned hand wriggled a moment then flipped over so that they were palm to palm with their fingers curled around each other’s wrists. Their eyes locked for a moment, then Steady closed his and let his head fall back as he moaned.

The moan turned into a muffled shout as Sten wrapped a hand around his cock and began to pump and Steady stuffed a fist into his mouth to keep the whole station from hearing them. Hells, he thought, at this rate… but then it was already too late as orgasam crashed over him. He gasped for air and then rolled his head back letting his chin rest on his chest. Opening his eyes he saw the white streaks of his cum splattered over Sten’s stomach. Sten was grinning up at him.

Smug bastard, he thought, then set back to rolling his hips with a vengeance. Seeing that some of his cum had gotten onto Sten’s hand he picked it up with both of his own and guided it to his mouth. He licked along the outside of the index finger before pulling both the middle and index fingers into his mouth and sucking hard.

Steady opened his eyes to look into Sten’s a moment before they were clenched shut as he bucked up hard and came with a few more uneven jerks of his hips..

They were both still for a moment after that as the both panted and tried to collect their wits. Eventually Steady picked himself up off of Sten and collapsed down next to him.

“That was...pretty damn amazing.” Sten finally managed after a moment, still catching his breath he tilted his head so he could look at Steady who seemed quite satisfied. “I mean...wow...wow…” He whispered as a smile spread across his face feeling happy.

Just plain old happy and satisfied. When was the last time he felt like that?

“You feeling alright?” He asked while carefully turning onto his side so he was face Steady, scooting a little closer to him as well.

“Better. How’s your side?” Steady kissed the tip of Sten’s nose and let his eyes drift closed.

“Kinda aches but I can honeslty care less about that.” Smiling he leaned over doing the same to Steady’s nose. It had been one hell of a day but even though he was stabbed it certainly ended on a high note. Feeling himself start to fall asleep, Sten pressed himself up against Steady’s chest and drifted off.

 


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn’t his alarm that woke him in the morning though, no it was a sudden sharp pain in his neck that had him sitting up making him yelp. Slamming his hand onto his neck, Sten looked over to see a very bored looking Blitz standing over his bedside.

“Blitz?! The fuck?! Wh-why are you in here?!” He screamed, scrambling to get the blankets over his lap but the medic didn’t seem fazed by his nakedness.

“Well I tried calling you five kriffing times and you didn’t answer so I grew concerned and it was also time for your painkillers so, y’know here I am.” He responded with a shrug, “You have nothing I haven’t seen, what’s the big deal?”

“G-get out of my room!” Sten screamed as Blitz rolled his eyes and started heading to the door.

“Hope you two were safe and had fun!”

“GET OUT OF HERE!!!!”

Steady shook as he tried to hide his mirth but ended up rolling on to his back laughing loudly.

“You know, we did forget a condom, you think you might have gotten me pregnant?” he managed to choke out between laughs.

Glaring at him Sten tried to look annoyed but he soon started to burst into a fit of laughter before he collapsed on top of him and grabbed Steady’s face squishing his cheeks together. Kissing him on the lips he continued laughing as he brought their foreheads together.

“Well if I am you better take responsibility for this kid!”

Steady opened his mouth and lifted his hand for a second looking like he was going to say something but instead just nipped Sten on the lips making him snort.

“You want me to go get us some caf? And maybe some food beside? As lovely as last night was we missed dinner and today has a few ugly problems hanging over it.”

Groaning softly he didn’t want to think about the problems of the day. Tilting his head to look at him he smiled finally and gave a nod. “Yeah I sure can go for that caf...and something to eat.” He said as he slowly started sitting up but flinched slightly. “Guess I did need that painkiller.”

“You stay here. Take it easy while you can. I’ll bring it back. We’ll eat and try and figure out how to untangle this then.” Steady shuffled back into his blacks and pulled on the lower half of his armor, but left the chest and arms off.

“Any requests for the food?” He asked as he stood in the doorway.

“...Scrambled eggs and toast.” He requested hoping that was being served today, he could really go for some eggs right now. “If the guys try asking you questions just tell them to buzz off, sarge’s orders, okay?

“Steady it was so hardcore!!! The way you pummeled Bitters!” Steady was ambushed by Howler and Vic running up to him in the hall.

“We got a hold of the security footage from yesterday, sir you could have been a commando with moves like that.” Vic said next excitedly as he nudged Howler a bit. “Howl here was worried sick over Sten all night until Blitz told us about this morning.”

“Shut up! But, he’s okay right?” Howler typed in looking genuinely concerned right now. He leaned in close and his brows were furrowed.

“He’s fine. I’m letting him sleep in and bringing him his breakfast.” Steady hadn’t been embarrassed to be caught in bed, but somehow having his fighting praised felt uncomfortable. He’d been fighting with another trooper. It wasn’t something to be bragged over.

“Security footage?” he asked. “Is Shepard reviewing it or something?”

“Well yeah I’m sure he did but we sorta took a peek too. Made a copy...or two to show everyone.” Howler admitted with a small shrug.

“Honestly I think everyone should see it. Bitters attacked Sten, our sarge, a vod for kriff’s sake. Someone who was only showing him kindness. The video shows the entire thing and what he saying to him, it was…” Scowling Vic shook his head. “You don’t say things like that to a brother.”

Steady frowned. Sten hadn’t mentioned anything about what was said, just hinted that he had handled the conversation badly.

“Things like what?” Steady asked darkly.

“Like...how he’s a failure, that the only reason why he’s in charge is because he’s broken beyond repair. That he’s going to get us all killed, that no one gives a shit about any of us but he was trying really hard to make Sten feel like crap.” Vic emphasised in frustration.

“Who’d respect a broken piece of trash like you?” Howler typed reluctantly, a frown on his face too.

“Sten has thick skin but...I could see it was getting to him and we know there’s something more to it...with him. None of us know much about his past but sometimes when he’s on his own he looks so lost. Like...sad and alone.”

“If you are fishing for details about his past, you won’t get them from me. He has a right to his own secrets,” Steady sighed. “But I’ll talk to him. Thank you. Now if you don’t mind, neither of us got dinner, and I’d rather not wait until lunch to eat.” Steady picked up his pace to head for the cafeteria.

It took a little longer than planned to get the food together, mainly because he had to scramble the eggs himself, but by the time Steady came back with the trays of food he had already tested and discarded a number of speeches in his head. He wasn’t here to lecture Sten and he didn’t want to tell him how to run this station, because to be honest he didn't think he would do as good a job as Sten did. This problem was bigger than he knew what to do with. Eventually he settled on simply letting Sten know about the video after letting him eat his meal in peace. Balancing the tray on one hand he knocked on the door to Steady’s rooms.

“You decent in there?”

“Yeeeees! But wouldn’t mind you seeing me not decent again!” Sten called out to him wearing his pants just for now and sitting at his desk looking over some work. Smiling when the door opened he perked up at the smell of the eggs. “Those smell great, I’m seriously starving right now, thank you!” Digging right in as soon as Steady handed him his plate, Sten really was hungry, guess being stabbed works up an appetite.

“Hope you weren’t harassed by any of the guys were you?”

“No, not harassed. They were just worried about you. You did disappear on them after getting stabbed. I put that to bed by telling them you were just getting some rest.” Yeah, he did kinda vanish into the depths of his room but he figured most people would want some time to rest after being stabbed.

“Listen,” That didn’t sound like a happy tone, glancing up Sten waited for Steady to continue with whatever news he had. “The security footage of the fight has been making the rounds around the station. It’s… what he said to you…” Steady’s brow creased and he trailed off clearly at a loss probably worried about how this would make him feel.

Sten swallowed the last of his food before resting his cheek on his palm. “Figured it would. Who was it? Howler or Vic?...It was both wasn’t it?” He wasn’t all that bothered by it though it was a concern now how the rest of the grew would view Bitters which would be worst now.

Standing up Sten started to get fully dressed now, carefully pulling on new armor he flexed his left hand letting out a small noise of frustration.

Numb again.

“I have to focus on what to do with Bitters now. He’s...a danger to my crew. I’m glad it had been me and not one of them. What if he had went after Hawke who wouldn't have been able to defend himself or Howl...who can’t scream for help? Or anyone else who would have argued back? He’s too dangerous to be kept here but...the moment I tell the GAR I’m sealing his death…”

“I don’t have any answers for you. And I know him being here, knowing what he knows, you have to be worried about revenge.” Steady moved to stand behind Sten and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Leaning against him, he could feel Steady grow still.

“Well there is one thing, I’m not thrilled by the idea though.”

Rubbing his eyes he didn’t know what to do. Revenge, fuck was Bitters the vengeful type? His name was freaking Bitters of course he probably was! Turning in his arm Sten rested his cheek against his chest wanting to just enjoy this closeness a little longer.

“And what’s this idea you have?”

“It’s a lot of work, and risk for someone I’m not entirely sure is worth it. Neither of us comes out looking good, and worse case scenario it draws an investigation on The Speck, but we play the cards right we get him out of everyone’s life and he has a chance to live through it.” Steady took a deep breath before continuing.

“Load him in an escape pod with the coordinates of the nearest inhabited planet locked in and enough field rations to get there. Tell him that anyone from the GAR ever sees him again he’s going down for desertion and assault on a superior officer. Doctor the security footage so that it looks like he damaged the cameras and emergency address system. Report your injuries and Marks as the result of trying to stop him. I was in medical continuing my inspection and didn’t know about it until it was done. You go down a escape pod which could be a problem if, force forbid, something happens and you need them. And like I said it’s the sort of thing that might lead to investigators coming here, but it’s the option where he gets a chance to live and no chance to rat out the station.”

No, no that was...that was far too complicated. How would they pull something like that off?

“Fuck...fuck, fuck how can I do that? Shit...that would bring far too much attention here. Too much could go wrong, doctoring evidence, leaving something behind. I’m not sure we can pull that off Steady, there’d be too much heat on us, more than usual.”

Sten muttered as he started to pace back and forth. “Unless I just...offer him to go. Like I do for the others. A transfer is supposed to be happening soon, I was planning on putting Vic and Howler on it but...I need Bitters out of here. He’s disillusioned by the army now, if I offer him freedom he’ll take it no problem.”

“It’s your call. Whatever you do I’ll have your back. Just let me know what you need from me.” Steady reached out to where Sten was pacing and pulled him back in.

“We’ll deal with this, all right. You’ve worked too hard for this for him to stop you now. We’ll deal.”

But how? He couldn’t help but wonder that as he allowed Steady to pull him back into his arms. Exchanging a soft kiss Sten didn’t want to face the reality of today but knew he had to. Finally leaving his room to deal with Bitters it seemed the galaxy decided to do it for him. Getting an alert to head to medical as soon as possible, Sten was looking down at Bitters’ dead body.

“How...how did this happen?”

“He overdosed. Apparently when I had my back turned he managed to grab the painkiller I had used for you and Marks. In small doses it’s not deadly or dangerous but he clearly took more than a medic would know to give. When Shepard went to check on him this morning he was gone.” Blitz explained softly while Sten was just floored by it all.

“Wh-why would he?”

“He probably knew what would happen to himself, he’d be sent back to Kamino to either be killed or reconditioned, probably thought death was better...many men seem to think that way.”

Steady gave Blitz a searching look, before swallowing hard and turning to Sten.

“Blitz is right. He wouldn’t be the first to take the matter into his own hands.” Giving Steady a withering look Sten knew his fair share of brothers who have taken their lives...it still was never easy to accept.

“He was determined to fight us. Not a lot we could do to stop him. Being his sergeant doesn’t make you magically able to save him.”

“But I should have been able to do something, I...I was supposed to watch over him, I’m sergeant.” Sten began to say feeling a choked up feeling grip him when Blitz shook his head.

“No, no you did all you could have done for him. You offered him kindness, shelter, your friendship. You offered to be someone he could have depended on and instead he rejected it, he threw it all away. Men like Bitters are never satisfied, Sten you are an amazing sergeant...look at all you have done here. He’s not worth your tears…He’s not worth your remorse. We learn from this and we move forward.”

He didn’t feel amazing...he felt useless, he felt helpless for allowing this to happen.

“Blitz is right. You did all you could and what’s done is done. Sometimes you lose some. Learn and move forward because that’s all you can do.”

He hated how true those words were, they made his stomach churn.

“Come on, you have men still among the living that will need seeing to. This is gonna have the station shook up, and you’re gonna have a lot of men looking to you for guidance. Take a moment, then let’s go and talk to them.”

Sten never believed he’d have to make a speech like this, to stand in front of his crew and brothers to tell them one of their own had taken his own life. Very few people expressed remorse openly.

There was shock written on their faces soon followed by murmurs and whispers spreading throughout the crown. It seemed like no one would weep over Bitters except maybe Sten but that would be later on. Slowly the crew returned to their jobs for the day and Sten to his room needed some time to himself to rest and just think over what had gone on today.

Getting back to his office, Sten stood in the middle of the room feeling lost, unsure at what to do next. Glancing over his shoulder he could see Steady standing in the doorway looking conflicted as to whether he should come in or no.

“You want me to stay? Do you need some time alone?”

“...Stay with me...please.” He hated how weak he sounded right now, how broken up he was about this, he never imagined something like this happening. He never thought he’d lose someone like this. Bitter was an awful person yet he was mourning over him, mourning his death and wishing he could have done more to save him. “Am I...am I pathetic for wishing...I could have saved him?”

“Not at all. You were his sergeant, you’re supposed to want to save him. That doesn’t make this your fault though. He made his decisions. He knew what he was doing.” Steady slipped an arm around Sten’s shoulder.

“Why don’t you try and get some rest. You’ve had to deal with a bit too much these past two days I think. I’ll clear some of the paperwork off your desk, and see if I can smooth a few things out so you can focus on your men and yourself. I don’t have to leave until tomorrow. You’re still nursing a gut wound on top of all this. Get some sleep.”

“Thank you Steady...for...for everything. Seriously you’re...you’re the best.” Pulling him down to kiss him on the lips, Sten peeled off his armor and crawled into bed feeling like he could sleep for an entire month.

When the door to medical opened, Blitz wasn’t all that surprised when Steady walked in, taking a moment he went back over to Marks whose nose he was checking. “Stop touching the bandage unless you want a crooked nose for the rest of your life.” He ordered gently causing him to flinch in pain when it was reapplied.

“Yeah I know doc...I look kinda like an idiot with it though.”

“You’ll look more like an idiot with a nose stuck at a 90 degree angle, now get outta here, if I hear you been touching it you’ll be in trouble.” He warned again as Marks hopped off the examining table leaving him and Steady alone. “Something you need lieutenant?”

“I’m not angry about what you did. It solved a hell of a lot of problems, but you have to know that trick is only gonna work once.” Steady’s voice was low and even. “And we need to make absolutely certain Sten never finds out. Is there a security feed for this room?”

“No. And I know it’ll only work once. I’m not proud by any means of what I’ve done but it had to be done. For all our sakes...Sten is a good man, he cares, he cares so deeply that might also be his greatest weakness. I respect him too much to have him deal with issues like Bitters. I owe him more than he realizes.”

“I understand. None of the solutions I could get him to consider were good solutions, just… he’s my priority here too. I care too much about what he’s doing to care about Bitters’s fate in any capacity other than how it affects this station and Sten. I just wanted to check that you… have everything covered here.” Steady made a small circular gesture with his hand.

“I’m going to head down to the cafeteria and see if I can’t put a meal together for him. It seems all I can do now is give him the space to heal himself. Which won’t get any easier if he doesn’t eat. Is… everything is good here isn’t it?”

Swallowing, Blitz nodded his head. “It is...he’s been better since you’ve come around. You’re good for him, I think he wants to be the same for you. So...don’t go dying anytime soon.” He muttered as he sat down at his desk.

“I don’t know much of Sten’s past, just bits and pieces...what he’s gone through it’s hard for people to come back from that. It almost feels impossible.” Blitz’s hand clamped down on his knee. “But he’s still fighting so will the rest of us.”

Steady just nodded, then let out a long sigh.

“We’ll get him back on his feet. But it’s probably best if we try and give him an easy few days as much as is possible.” He paused.

“And for what it’s worth, I probably would have done the same thing in your shoes.”

“From that tape I saw you were well on your way of doing so.” Blitz answered and raised his eyebrows. “You...take it easy too. Let Shepard and I take care of things, can’t have you going back to the 212th all tense. You and Sten just...relax. Okay?”

“I’ll try. And I’ll try and get Sten to relax too. But first food.”

Steady was pleased to find The Speck’s small kitchen empty. Looking around at what there was to work with he started to put together a thick cream based soup. Something easy to eat that would load in enough energy to last for a while and feel filling. As he worked he let his mind empty out, focusing on the effort of preparing food. He didn’t enjoy cooking the way he knew some of his brothers did, working to perfect a dish and find excellent ingredients. He just wanted to eat something more than GAR ration food before he died. Cooking was the chore you did for the privilege. Right now though he could understand why some of them found it therapeutic. Right now there was nothing more pressing than the decision of how many mushrooms to add.

Did Sten even like mushrooms? Only one way to find out now, he supposed.

He brought the finished soup back to find Sten still sleeping. He put a cover over the bowls to help them keep warm and set about sorting out Sten’s paperwork backlog. And that was simple and clean too. Steady knew paperwork. He hummed a little as he worked, settling in and finally uncoiling.

Waking up to something smelling amazing, Sten rose from bed dragging the blanket with him over to his desk where Steady was currently seated. Leaning over the back of the chair, he pressed his cheek against his shoulder and spotted the soup. “You are very talented you know that? Maybe one day I’ll get you to teach me how to cook. That way I can make you something...moderately good.”

“It’s nothing special,” Steady insisted. “I’m sure you could pick it up quickly enough if you wanted to. Anyway, I made you miss one dinner, the least I could do is put together a replacement that was actually worth eating.”

“Hours logs, security reports, and requisition forms will all be up to date once you sign off on them. Did some projections to get about a month’s worth of further orders lined up. You’ll need to double check them against actual inventory before they go out, but it should save you some time. I’ve tried to make it easy.”

All these things were easy for Steady, he was amazing like that, how all this complicated stuff just came for easy to him. Sometimes Sten couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it, how had he been able to run this station for so long?

“Feel any better for having had a rest?”

“Yeah I’m feeling better now...better. Thanks again for all this...I’ll make you something for sure. Used to think I’d only be eating ration bars for the rest of my life.” Pulling over another chair he sat down beside Steady and rested his arms on the desk.

“It’s better when it’s hot. And I’ve learned the hard way that you can’t pin all your hopes on the end of the war. There’s something to be said for seizing the moment. So I cook because I really, really hate MREs.” Steady gave Sten a small smile.

“Eat.” It was a gentle command, one Sten was willing to follow without protest.

“Yeah I know, we both learned that lesson. So in the moment is important but kinda nice to think of the future too sometimes.” Eating some of the soup he hummed happily and returned his smile. “I could use a wild shore leave.”

“I’d say you and me both, but I suspect you’ve been doing without longer than I have.” Steady paused for a moment looking down like he was lost in thought.

“This wasn’t all bad was it? I know these past few days have been kinda shit, but I’d like to think we got a little R&R out of it all at least?”

“We did for sure and...I enjoy your company. When you’re around...not just me but so do the guys. We all like having you here. A lot.”

He enjoyed his company far more than he’d like to admit...having Steady around it just made him feel better. Like there was someone he can always talk to and trust.

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Steady’s cheeks flush.

“I’m just glad to help,” He said with a little wave of his hand. “I like it here. With you. And the others.” With a sigh he dropped his head to the desk.

“I wish that we could manage a visit without things getting messy though.”

“I’d say it adds to our weird charm but let’s look forward for next time? Looking a little bit toward the future. Right? We’ll have a damn good visit, have Tadhg along and we’ll party! You two should come here a rotation day that’s a real party.” He said as he gently played with his hair.

Steady picked up his head in order to lean into the touch.

“All right. I’ll look forward to that. To next time.”


End file.
